I Will Save You
by facepalmicate
Summary: EWE; Hermione saves Severus from Nagini's bite and wants to help him, but he disappears. Years pass and when their paths cross again, will they ever be able to rekindle their friendship, and will it ever become more? Will contain lemons in future, title subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

Snape could almost feel his life leaving him. The warmth and calm of the darkness were so inviting. If he had the strength to scowl he would have done – if only Granger would stop her wailing he would be free to slip into the abyss.

"No! Harry we can't leave him!" He could feel warm, soft hands replace the cold ones that were on his neck. He struggled to open his eyes, managing to only glimpse at Granger. She was blinded by tears, which fell onto his cheeks as she held his head against her. "You can't die Sir. Not after all you've already survived. I need you to live!" Her voice was stricken with panic. He drifted into a blissful unconsciousness for several moments, and when he returned, he was aware that he was being moved. He groaned in agony as the levitation charm slipped and his head tipped back, tearing his destroyed neck even further. Granger sobbed, fixing the charm as she powered onwards. "I will save you."

There were hideous moments of consciousness that rushed through him, bringing noises and pains every so often. He heard yells, curses and once a woman, weeping. He did not want to wake up. That would lead to questions and trails, and maybe even prison. He cursed Hermione and her foolish meddling. The plan had been to die and finally be done with it all, but she'd been too much of a know-it-all for her own good.

"Mr Snape?" A strong voice, which was not accustomed to hush, growled over him. He sighed inwardly, knowing that he would have to open his eyes sooner or later. His lids flickered open and he groaned heavily. _Sooner or later. I wish it didn't bloody hurt so much. _His eyes had grown accustomed to darkness and were not prepared for the assault of light. "Are you alright?" The voice asked. Severus was too busy grimacing in pain to identify the source.

"No I'm not bloody well alright, I should be dead." Or at least, that's what he intended to say, but what left his mouth was more of a garbled whisper. He paled at the sound of his own voice. That wasn't him, it should be smooth and biting but instead he sounded like a one hundred year old man with the mind of a baby.

"Try not to talk to much." Snape identified the man speaking and sent him a glare, which he hoped was threatening enough to send the message – he asked me a question you twat. He was surrounded by at least 6 healers, all male aside from one. They looked at him with unabashed interest. "You should really be dead by all accounts Mr Snape," Severus rolled his eyes in annoyance, "You're very, very lucky that Miss Granger found you in time." He huffed a little in response. Lucky indeed. "You've been in an induced state of unconsciousness for roughly 8 weeks. The poison from Lord Voldemort's snake, Nagini, has successfully been extracted, and now you are awake and have miraculously regained control of your blood works, we can begin the physical rehabilitation." Severus balked slightly at the sound of '8 weeks'. That would have been more than enough time for his name to crop up at the Ministry. "You will begin speech and physical therapy in two days time, all things considered, and until then we ask you kindly to remain in bed and to refrain from speaking." The crowd of healers began to shuffle out of his room. Severus spied a window looking out onto a grove, which was promising to the point where either he wasn't under arrest or they didn't think him capable of escape. "Now Mr Snape, you have a visitor who has waited very impatiently to see you."

The healer that remained pulled the door open to reveal a teary eyed Miss Hermione Granger. She rushed forward and began babbling,

"Oh Professor I'm so glad you're awake. You were under for so long we worried that you would never recover, and I tried so hard to save you, I really did. And I'm so glad I did. Harry told me that you were on our side all along and I knew it, I did. I think that's why I tried so hard to save you. I knew you were there for us, the patronus and the sword; it could have only been you." Her mouth snapped shut abruptly once she reached his bedside. Tears streamed down her face, which no longer showed any signs of the battle; aside from the new found darkness to her eyes. He scowled at her and beckoned her with one heavy hand. She looked puzzled but leaned in close. Her hair tickled his nose and memories of the battle washed over him. He shuddered and pushed the violent images to one side, before struggling to whisper,

"Am I free?" The words clawed their way out of his mangled throat and into her waiting ear. She turned to him, eyes glistening with tears both shed and unshed. Her head shook slightly, her hair dancing around him. He shut his eyes in pain. Why was she so happy when all she had done was condemn him to 70, 80 years more pain.

"Not yet sir. But you will be." He looked at her with eyes full of disbelief and pain. "I promise. I didn't save you for you to be locked away, I saved you because you are a good man and that needs to be recognised before you go." He scoffed slightly. "I do sir, I promise. Harry and I are working so hard. The ministry just needs one final push and they'll let you free." She paused, as if working up the courage to say the next words. "They want to see you memories sir, for themselves. Harry hasn't shown them to anyone, and they say they need a second opinion, in case he's been confunded or some absolute bollocks like that." Her voice grew tight with anger. Snape closed his eyes for a brief moment in contemplation.

"How many people?"

"I'm sorry sir?" He scowled, his throat already aching from use.

"How many will see?"

"Oh! Probably only the minister and one another," Her voice quietened, "Me." She saw his brow furrow as he worked it over in his mind. "Kingsley's the minister now Sir. I know he won't tell anyone." Snape nodded once curtly and she grabbed his hand and raised it to her lips. He snatched it away with a speed he didn't know he possessed and he saw her eyes flash with hurt. "I'm so sorry sir, I was just…" Her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment. "I was just happy."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I received some very good constructive criticism from a reviewer and have followed on with this. I hope it satisfies.

A shiver of incredible violence shot through Severus' body for the third time in a minute, finally drawing him out of his slumber. His eyes snapped open but he found his body paralysed under the weight of potion-masked pain. He remained still and silent, aside from the rush of air past his parched lips. The room looked different from last night. Smaller, and darker. The window was gone. Had they moved him? A lizard sat at the foot of his bed. It cocked its head to the side before slithering off, under the door and away. Severus pondered as to whether this meant he was not in fact in St. Mungo's, as he had assumed, but in another country altogether.

Severus felt trapped, which was a feeling he had hoped to escape with the end of the war. He sighed, knowing full well that he was doomed to a life of anguish; to be persistently faced with nitwits and dunderheads. He waited patiently for someone to come – they were bound to eventually. Not 3 minutes later (for he was counting) did a young healer enter his room.

"Mr Snape, it's good to see you finally awake." She smiled timidly at him, as he scowled back, wondering how long he had slept for. He opened his mouth to ask for a drink but she shushed him. "Please sir, don't attempt to speak. We're unsure about the state of your vocal chords and any talking could cause further trauma." His scowl deepened. Clearly she hadn't a clue what she was talking about. Just as he had foreseen – forever surrounded by dunderheads. His eyes flicked to the jug of water on the table, alerting her of his need. "I'm sorry, you can't sit up so ice cubes will have to do." She neatly transfigured a cup of water into crushed ice, before beginning to spoon the cool cubes into his mouth. He wished he could scowl further in his mortification, but the refreshment washed over him with chilled bliss, lessening the grove of his brow. "There are two aurors on their way to speak to you, and if you feel well enough we will give you a pen and paper so you can write your responses." He nodded stiffly.

The aurors stood over him, gazing down with contempt. They had eased up his charms and potions to allow movement in his fingers. It was too bad that every movement felt like lightning shooting through his body. He wondered again how long he had been asleep for, and what had changed since then. The elder of the two aurors cleared his throat and began to read gruffly from a scruffy piece of paper in his hand,

"Mr Severus Tobias Snape, we are here to conduct an investigation regarding several claims against your name for known committed war crimes. The aforementioned crimes include; crimes against the ministry and known affiliates; use of unforgivable curses including but not limited to the Killing Curse; murder; torture and hate crimes against muggleborns and muggles alike." Severus resisted the urge to scoff. He wondered how exactly these "hate crimes" tallied up against the ministry's own during the war. "War hero Mr Harry James Potter has provided evidence to suggest that these actions were dictated by both Albus Percival Wilfric Brian Dumbledore and Tom Riddle; otherwise known as Lord Voldemort or the Dark Lord to his followers. Following from this evidence we are here to question you on several events of significance that have occurred in recent years. Once our evidence has been compiled, it will be presented to the Wizengamot for their verdict. We shall now inform you of your rights and then proceed with our questions."

They stayed for 4 hours before the Head Healer demanded that they leave. It was a painful ordeal for Severus, and not just physically. Each "event of significance" as they had so eloquently put it, was a painful reminder of Severus' past. They began with the prophecy, when he truly was a member of the Death Eaters, and worked their way to Lily's death and the first fall of Voldemort. It was excruciating to recall his crimes that had been done with true malevolence and to once again be shown that if it were not for him and his power hungry youth, Lily may still have been alive.

The healers came to restore Severus' painless prison, but before they could he scrawled a question, each letter causing him agony.

_Where is Miss Granger?_

The head healer looked at him with confusion.

"I see you remember that Miss Granger was the one to save you Mr Snape." Severus looked at him like he was the biggest blithering idiot he had ever seen. "Unfortunately Mr Snape, although Miss Granger has requested to see you, the ministry has restricted your visitation rights to aurors and healers alone until a verdict is reached." Severus' anger turned to pure confusion – a feeling he was not at habit to indulge. With trembling hands he scrawled once more, _What about when I last woke up? _The healer's eyes glowed with concern. "Mr Snape, I am not sure when you are referring to as today was the first day since your being committed that you awoke. It has been 2 months since the Battle of Hogwarts, and the last time you were awake." Severus paled beneath a wash of charms that were being cast over him. _What on earth is going on? Did I imagine everything from before? Can this be true? Could it be that Miss Granger was just a fever dream, telling me that it was time to wake up? _

The healers left him, dimming the lights and drawing the sheets to his shoulders. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, but he could not answer his own questions. The subtext of his unconscious mind worried him to no end. Why did he imagine her of all people? Was he just dying to be free and needed? Was her desire to see him live just a manifestation of his own survival instincts – no matter how deeply buried they may be. If he could have tossed and turned, paced and fidgeted he would have, but instead he remained encased in his own misery, trapped in his own mind.


End file.
